To most persons it is very difficult to sleep comfortably during traveling while sitting in a confined space since many body muscles are unnecessarily strained to maintain said sitting posture, thus preventing the reaching of the passive state of mind essential to relaxation and sleep.
There is a large variety of devices intended to assist travelers to relax or sleep while seated in economy class airplane, train, bus or vehicle seats. Among them we find a very large selection of “neck pillows” with a U- or C-shaped design available for purchase. Said neck pillows do help some seated persons to, in a very limited and temporary manner, relax or sleep. Examples are found by searching their related web sites.
Other types of sleep assist devices have been disclosed by numerous prior art issued patents. Nevertheless, many have never become popularized or manufactured. Some are portable, to be carried along by a person, while others are intended to be stored around passenger airplane seats. However, all of them exhibit disadvantages because they either are expensive, uncomfortable to be used, do not fully foment relaxation or sleep, or are too bulky to be carried by individuals or stored in an airplane cabin, train or other vehicle.
A few examples are examined next. The U.S. Pat. No. 8,584,283 issued to Robert Mabry on Nov. 19, 2013 is one of various prior art examples of sleep assist devices that would not be useful to most persons because it is bulky, heavy and consists of a complex and costly structure. The U.S. Pat. No. 8,528,978 issued to William J. Purpura, et al. on Sep. 10, 2013 is also a complex and costly structure that must be attached to an airplane seat, and would therefore likely require airline approval for its use onboard. The U.S. Pat. No. 7,681,769 issued to Robert F. Kramer on Mar. 23, 2010 is a backpack that can also be utilized as a sleep assist device. In addition to being bulky and relatively heavy, it must be constantly strapped to the wearer's shoulders. Said device does not support a posture conducive to relaxation or sleep. Perry W. Haddon's U.S. Patent Application 20040026979 filed Feb. 12, 2004 discloses a sleep assist device that is uncomfortable to be used and is relatively bulky.
In conclusion, if a novel device could offer a seated person an effective approach to achieving an ergonomically comfortable, relaxing posture and/or extended sleeping time, it would be immediately accepted by a relatively large percentage of the traveling population. Such a novel device would contribute to a significant reduction of tiredness, fatigue, and sleepiness, therefore improving humanity's overall work productivity and enjoyment of life. An optimal sleep assist device should be simple, inexpensive, light weight, fit into small area to be easily carried, and require minimal assembly prior to utilization.
When this inventor realized the urgent human need to create a more acceptable and more pleasurable sleep assist device than those offered by prior art, the purposes of this invention were inspired, leading to the conception and the accomplishment of this invention.
This disclosure describes a novel, non-obvious, useful and attractive sleep assist device that, when utilized, assures seated persons a very comfortable relaxation or sleep.